title: A randomized controlled trial of two different lengths of nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation.
abstract: This study examined if 2-week free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) would be more effective than 1-week free NRT to help smokers quit smoking at 6 and 12 months. In a single-blinded randomized controlled trial design, 562 Chinese smokers who attended a smoking cessation clinic in Hong Kong, China, were randomly allocated into two groups (A1 and A2): A1 (n = 284) received behavioural counselling with free NRT for 1 week; A2 (n = 278) received similar counselling with free NRT for 2 weeks. All subjects received printed self-help materials to support their quitting efforts. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, including pattern of NRT use and self-reported 7-day point prevalence quit rate at 6 months and 12 months. Among the participants, the mean number of cigarettes smoked per day was 18.8 (SD = 10.9). By intention-to-treat analysis, 7-day point prevalence quit rates were not significantly different between A1 and A2 groups at 6-month (27.5% versus 27.3%; P = 0.97) and 12-month (21.1% versus 21.2%; P = 0.98) followup. The findings suggest that two-week free NRT was not more effective than 1-week free NRT to increase smoking cessation rate among Chinese smokers.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China ; Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Medical Campus, Boston, MA 02118, USA ; Department of Community Medicine, School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Abu S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Abdullah
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hedley
authors.forename: Sophia S C
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Tai-Hing
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D012907:Smoking / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D061485:Tobacco Use Cessation Devices; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine